Team Update: Overcoming Adversity

Since the last time I talked to you was about 3 weeks ago at the end of preseason, I wanted to give y’all a short update on the team, season, how I’m doing, etc. Along with this also comes the topic I want to touch on: overcoming adversity in any and all situations. You’ll see why here in a sec…

Our season has just started, but we’re already getting into the swing of things, facing tough teams. We had our first official game this past weekend as part of a tournament in California. At the tournament 2 out of the 4 teams we face were ranked in the top 25 in the country (we were ranked 10th at the time). We ended up going 2-2 for the weekend, although one game we really beat ourselves therefore making it possible to have been 3-1 this weekend. But even though we didn’t achieve the outcome we desired, I think it was a great learning experience for our team and as individual players on skills we need to work on, being disciplined, competitive, etc. We found areas to improve upon and tactics to do so. We won’t see any of those same teams again until the regional tournament in mid-november which means we have plenty of time to get better and come out stronger next time we play those opponents.

Every team, of course, faces obstacles at one point or another in a season. And it’s how you come together and work as a team to overcome those that ultimately leads to growth–both individually and collectively. This is the situation we are stuck in currently. During pre-season and our first scrimmage, two of our starters from last year got injured (broken foot and ACL tear) and are now out for either a great chunk or all of season. This obviously means that spots have to be filled and a huge obstacle must be faced and conquered. That’s why I think our tournament in California this past week was an eye-opener to what we must do and how we must play to continue getting better without our two starters. Our team is no worse or better off because of these injuries–it is just different now. A different team, different roles, different dynamics, different strategies, etc. We had a great loss with those injuries, but now it’s time to overcome that adversity for the better and still come out on top.

And this is the big message I wanted to hammer home here. In sports, relationships, jobs, the craziness of life there are going to be challenges you face, obstacles that get in your way and events/people who are determined to tear you down. It’s tough, but it’s part of life. And it’s part of how you grow. As much as we like things easy, I honestly do not believe that anyone would like to breeze through life totally care-free and easy. You may think you might at first, but then it becomes monotonous. There’s no room for improvement, growth, strength; we wouldn’t need people around to help us; it would honestly be kind of boring. Now, I’m not saying that people wish their life was hard and miserable nor should you. But it’s those tough moments that you find out what you’re really made of and capable of. It’s those challenges that allow you to grow into who you can and want to become.

When you face adversity whether that be an injury, a hard task, a disrupt in your life, etc., change your attitude towards it. Instead of viewing it as something awful and dwelling on it/the past, look to the future and all that’s possible now. View it as a chance to make yourself, your team, your relationships, your life BETTER! When life knocks you down, use adversity as the fuel that lights your fire to get back up, work even harder, and come out ahead in the future. Overcoming adversity isn’t as hard if you just decide to start changing your attitude and mindset towards it.

Remember this: When you view the obstacle as the opportunity, you will overcome.